The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the
Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content,
giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed
in newspapers across the Arab world.
Energy
Minister Gebran Bassil is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday to
reveal information related to recent violations committed against the EDL and to
the public funds allegedly withheld by certain collectors.
In
this context, sources close to Bassil confirmed to
As-Safir Daily that “negotiating with the EDL
contract workers is out of question after they havdoccupied the company”, stressing
that they have to bring this “occupation” to an end without preconditions and
to handover the money they keep.
The
sources warned that lawsuits are underway to sue the defaulters.
In the same context, Speaker Nabih Berri called for
engaging in dialogue with the protesters, similar to the one taking place
between the education minister and teachers. Berri also suggested the formation
of a ministerial committee for this purpose, stressing that “the contract
workers have spent their lives at the company; thus, we should not neglect them”.
Hezbollah
leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will make a TV appearance on Wednesday evening,
marking the anniversary of the Lebanese July war.
His
speech will likely tackle main domestic and regional developments.
According to
An-Nahar Daily, Nasrallah’s speech
will focus on Egypt, Syria and Bahrain before “adopting the policy of defending
the military institution” and speaking about the spying devices found in
al-Zarariyah.
As-Safir Daily learned that citizens from the
border town of al-Debbabiyeh foiled last night an attempt by a number of Syrian
armed men to open fire from Lebanese territory in the direction of the Syrian
side.
The citizens disarmed one of the gunmen while the
others fled towards local woods while opening fire towards citizens. Accordingly, LAF patrols raided the area and
confiscated a number of weapons. They later went to chase after the gunmen.
A
high-ranking Lebanese official revealed to
As-Safir Daily that he has discerned
many flagrant fallacies in the issue of the officers arrested in the Kweikhat
case.
The official listed the fallacies in
the form of fundamental questions that go as follows:
- Why was the decision to expand investigations passed
before informing LAF Commander Jean Kahwaji?
- Why were the officers re-summoned and rearrested over
the weekend though it is commonly known that courts do not operate on weekends
and it is sometimes difficult to reach a judge at this time of the week?
- Why weren’t the military
men that were accused of attempting to kill the two sheikhs also arrested?
- What is the new available evidence on
which the decision to expand investigations based on? Knowing that
well-informed sources confirmed the lack of any new lead.
As-Safir
Daily learned that President Michel Sleiman asked Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on the possibility of reestablishing contact with Syrian President
Bashar Assad.
Erdogan
confirmed to Sleiman that he had visited Assad in person and dispatched his
foreign minister more than once, but it turned out that the latter does not live
up to "his promises".